### Class Summary Report
**Title:**
Modulating Opinion Strength in Persuasive Writing
**Synopsis:**
In this session, the class focused on the concept of modulating the strength of an opinion, especially in the context of writing persuasive essays. The lesson aimed to teach students how to make their arguments more believable and nuanced by using language that precisely and appropriately adjusts the certainty, quantity, frequency, and ability expressed in their opinions.
**Attendance:**
– Number of students absent: 3 (Diana, Daniel, Ajan)
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Introduction to Opinion Strength:**
– Discussion on the importance of opinion strength in persuasive essays.
– Example of an exaggerated claim to illustrate the pitfalls of overly strong opinions.
2. **Language Precision and Nuance:**
– Exploring the balance between precision and nuance in argumentative writing.
– Definitions and examples of precise language and nuanced arguments.
3. **Controlling Opinion Strength:**
– Analysis of sentences with modified opinion strength.
– Vocabulary review on synchronous/asynchronous.
– Discussion on modifiers that adjust the strength of claims (e.g., most, usually, seems to be).
4. **Modifying Opinion Strength in Practice:**
– Students practiced identifying phrases that modulate opinion strength.
– Exercise in rewriting sentences to adjust opinion strength.
**Actionable Items:**
– **Follow-Up on Language Modifiers:**
– Provide additional examples or exercises on using language modifiers for opinion strength.
– Review the difference between ‘whenever’ and other frequency terms.
– **Essay and Documentary Assignments:**
– Remind students about the upcoming deadlines for the essay (due March 20th) and documentary presentations.
– Schedule office hours for essay consultations before the spring break.
**Homework:**
– Write the introduction and background paragraph for the persuasive essay, due for discussion on Friday.
– Prepare for documentary presentations, details to be discussed on Friday.